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How USAR Started, Part 4

FireRescue magazine's Technical Rescue Web column

California Takes the Lead: The history of the national Urban Search & Rescue program, part 4

By Harold Schapelhouman

Editor's Note: This article is part of a series on the history of the national USAR program. Read the previous posts:

Part 1: How It All Started…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on January 8, 2010 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Live-fire training: Strategies for ensuring it’s safe and realistic

Live-fire training: Strategies for ensuring it’s safe and realistic

By Keith Lloyd

Live-fire training is a necessary and indispensable tool for the professional fire service instructor. Fire training technology has made great advancements in recent years, but has yet to produce a simulator that can provide the same experience, the feeling of heat and the ability to observe fire behavior that live-fire evolutions provide.

Introducing the firefighter… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on January 7, 2010 at 8:00am — 11 Comments

Plug Away: Drills for improving communication & success on a forward lay

QUICK DRILLS

Plug Away: Drills for improving communication & success on a forward lay

By Homer Robertson

What’s the one fireground task that the least-experienced member of your company is often assigned to perform, without help? As a new firefighter, I remember going out to the apparatus bay with the company officer or the apparatus operator first thing in the morning, and they would tell me, “If we get anything today, you’re plugging.” They… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on January 6, 2010 at 8:00am — No Comments

Ouch! It hurts, but muscle soreness is key to muscle strength

Survival of the Fittest

Story & Photos by Jeff & Martha Ellis

The agony of adaptation is ever-apparent when starting a new workout program. In the new year, many of you will hit the gym for the first time in a long time. With that will come the inevitable pain and suffering of delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS.

Whether you’re starting a new program or intensifying an old one, some very interesting things occur… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on January 4, 2010 at 10:00am — No Comments

The New Tool on the Block

Stanley Tools’ FUBAR Forcible Entry Tool is like a Halligan—but different

By Peter F. Kertize

Editor's Note: The following article appeared in the December 2009 issue of FireRescue magazine.

I first saw the Stanley FUBAR Forcible Entry Tool while doing some hands-on training at a fire service conference. I couldn’t help but notice all the people traipsing by, holding a shiny, new, odd-looking tool. My first gut impressions: 1) This looked like a… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on December 31, 2009 at 1:30pm — 1 Comment

Tough on Tattoos: Like it or not, body modifications can reduce your chances of getting hired

Tough on Tattoos: Like it or not, body modifications can reduce your chances of getting hired

By Scott Cook

This month I’m going to talk about body modification: tattoos and piercings.

Now I know some of us believe that body modifications are really a personal choice, and they’re often done as a remembrance or celebration of someone important in our lives—and that’s all well and good. Tattoos and piercings are your business. You like… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on December 29, 2009 at 8:00am — 51 Comments

Changes to NFPA 1901: Measuring Tire Pressure

Inside the Apparatus Industry

Changes to NFPA 1901: Each tire on the apparatus must be equipped with a method to measure tire pressure

Story & Photos by Bob Vaccaro

For those of you who have been following the new NFPA 1901: Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, there are many changes worth addressing—and most of us agree that the changes are for the better.

According to general requirement 4.13.4, one of those changes is that each tire on… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on December 23, 2009 at 11:30am — 3 Comments

How USAR Started, Part 3

FireRescue magazine's Technical Rescue Web column

The First Deployment: Hurricane Iniki

The history of the national Urban Search & Rescue program, part 3

By Harold Schapelhouman

Editor's Note: This article is part of a series on the history of the national USAR program. Read the previous posts:

Part 1: How It All… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on December 22, 2009 at 10:30am — No Comments

Live & Learn: Call reviews enrich volunteer training

Live & Learn: Call reviews enrich volunteer training

Story & Photos by Bob Kolva

These days, there seems to be a virtual cornucopia of urban-oriented training tools. Retired big-city battalion chiefs flock to magazine-sponsored tradeshows and seminars to discuss the best way to manage multiple engine companies during a chemical plant fire or prepare for incidents involving WMDs. Unfortunately, such a wealth of training resources doesn’t exist for volunteer… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on December 18, 2009 at 8:00am — 1 Comment

Near Miss Receives Record-Breaking 1,000 Reports in 2009!

The National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System reached a milestone this month when it posted the 1,000th report for 2009. This marks the first time in the program’s 4-year history that 1,000 reports were received in a single year. The total number of reports received since the program launched in 2005 is more than 3,100.

Chief Jeff Johnson, IAFC president and chairman of the board, credits the increase in report submissions to the growing acceptance of near-miss reporting at… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on December 15, 2009 at 11:30am — No Comments

IAFC Go-Team Application Deadline Extended to Dec. 18

Two-person Go Teams are highly skilled and equipped chief officers in each national FEMA region who will help in the organizational response and recovery after significant emergencies and catastrophic events. Visit the EMC webpage (see the Toolbox area) for details and to print the application documents. Department approval is required so be sure to give yourself time to fill out all documents and… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on December 14, 2009 at 6:30pm — 1 Comment

Tips for the clinical portion of your EMT/Paramedic certification

Smooth Certification: Tips for the clinical portion of your EMT/Paramedic certification

By Scott Cook

So you’ve decided to go for your medical patch: EMT, EMT-I or EMT-P. EMS is part of what we do, and I’m still working on getting my paramedic certification, so this month, I want to share some tips for making your clinical experience a success.

First, a little background about me so you’ll know where I’m coming from: I’ve been a student… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on December 11, 2009 at 8:00am — 1 Comment

Firefighter Combat Challenge winners, Team MonctonMoves, detail the year leading up to their big win

By Jamie Richford, Team MonctonMoves

In the spring of 2009, Team MonctonMoves, which consisted of only two members the previous year (Matt Dunfield and myself) in a department of just over 100 (the Moncton Fire Department in New Brunswick, Canada), was excited to start the year with the addition of two more members (Marcel Dupuis and Jason Bergeron) from the previous year’s recruitment class.…

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Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on December 8, 2009 at 5:00pm — 1 Comment

Truss Construction: Tactics You Need

FireRescue magazine's Fireground Operations Web column

Take Heed:What you need to know about truss construction to avoid making mistakes & causing injury

By Freddie LaFemina

In years past, the mantra of “putting the fire out no matter what the cost” resulted in the deaths and serious injuries of many firefighters. Sometimes, we didn’t learn from those incidents.

There’s a sign in our academy gym that reads: “There are three things you… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on December 8, 2009 at 10:00am — 1 Comment

Historic Loss of Life: The Winecoff Hotel Fire

Looking Back: The Winecoff Hotel Fire Tragedy

By Captain Mica Calfee

Fire: The Winecoff Hotel

Location: Atlanta

When: Dec. 7, 1946

Loss of life: 119

Known for: Largest loss of life in a hotel fire in U.S. history

Impact on the fire service: Major changes in fire codes, strategy and tactics

Editor’s Note: Today marks the 63rd anniversary of the Winecoff Hotel Fire. We dedicate this… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on December 7, 2009 at 10:00am — 1 Comment

Bakersfield Firefighters Get to "Root" of Problem

RESCUE REPORT: Bakersfield Firefighters Get to "Root" of Problem

By Tom Vines

On Sept. 28, Bakersfield (Calif.) firefighters faced an unusual rescue call, one combining entrapment, confined space and some shoring challenges.

At 1037 HRS, a 911 caller reported hearing two men crying for help in a large hole in a neighbor’s yard. Two minutes later, the department dispatched a full rescue response, which included Truck 7 with paramedic, Engine 7,… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on December 6, 2009 at 12:30pm — No Comments

Illinois Firefighters Complete Challenging Trench Rescue

RESCUE REPORT: Illinois Firefighters Complete Challenging Trench Rescue

By Tom Vines

A June 2 trench rescue in northern Illinois illustrated common challenges associated with such incidents and how departments can work together for a successful outcome.

At 1238 HRS, a 911 caller reported a “man trapped in hole” at a construction site on North State Street in Belvidere. The Belvidere Fire Department (BFD) immediately dispatched Engine 101,… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on December 5, 2009 at 12:00pm — 2 Comments

How USAR Started, Part 2

FireRescue's Technical Rescue Web column

From the Ground Up: The history of the National Urban Search & Rescue Program, part 2

By Harold Schapelhouman

Editor's Note: This article is part of a series on the history of the national USAR program. Read the previous post:

Part 1: How It All Started

In 1990, the Federal… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on December 3, 2009 at 10:00am — 1 Comment

2 drills for better understanding how you breathe when wearing an SCBA

QUICK DRILLS

Know Your Consumption Rate

2 drills for better understanding how you breathe when wearing an SCBA

By Homer Robertson

How often do you conduct SCBA drills? Even if you went through an SCBA drill on your last shift or on your last drill night, it’s time to have another one. You just can’t emphasize enough how important this one piece of equipment is to the health and safety of every firefighter. Regardless of your level of experience… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on December 2, 2009 at 8:00am — 4 Comments

3 keys to managing the incident when things go wrong

Faced with the Unexpected

Company officers must be able to manage their crews when

the incident doesn’t go as planned

By Billy Schmidt

The best time to know emergency procedures—and the worst time to learn them—is in an actual emergency. Normal emergency scene confusion becomes even more complicated when something unexpected happens. Very rapidly, the familiar can become unrecognizable, as the incident becomes more complex. In such situations, a… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on December 1, 2009 at 8:00am — 2 Comments